Recording - July 2012 - 23

the cabinet is right at your feet, especially if you are running a subwoofer with your monitor system. The JDX Omniport feature takes the low-volume input of the direct signal and turns it into a balanced low-Z output that can be connected to an external mic pre or mixer, effectively turning the JDX into a true and traditional DI. The big question is how does it sound? Is it believable? And my answer is yes and no. As Fernando mentioned in his review, the JDX only simulates one speaker cabinet—a virtual blending of a closed-back 4x12 and an open-back 2x12. So the characteristics are always the same. When miking an amp, you get the choice and tones of different mics, distances and more, whereas with the JDX you are getting a tighter in-your-face dry sound. Where I find the JDX rules is when it is blended with a mic signal, especially with the low-frequency extension kicked in, as it fills out and fattens the tone of the miked amp in a very solid and thick way. It really is positively huge! Saving my favorite for last we move on to our final Radial device for this issue...

Tank Driver
The 500-series Tank Driver module is a brand new device in the Radial universe and is one of those “I never knew I wanted this” devices that this company excels in. The Tank Driver, as its name so wittily implies, is a spring reverb interface device—it literally drives the tank. It is made so you can interface it with the spring reverb of your favorite amplifier, or you can simply purchase a dedicated third-party reverb tank and use that. In fact, for a while Radial was selling the Tank Driver in a package with a Ruby Tubes reverb tank, which is what I was sent for review. The Tank Driver interfaces with your reverb tank of choice through a pair of front-mounted 1/4" jacks labeled Send and Return. The source you wish to verbout comes through the 500-Series enclosure’s rear-panel ins and outs, and the Omniport on this module serves as an additional TRS-style insert that is switchable in and out from the front panel. The front-panel controls are labeled Blend, Boom, Shimmer and Drive, and that pretty much sums up their functions! The Blend knob controls the wet/dry balance of your mix. The Drive button adds another 10 dB of signal to the module’s output for reverbs with lower sensitivity. Boom is, as you would guess, an eq of sorts that brings out more low frequencies in the reverb’s sound, while Shimmer does the same to the highs. How does it sound? Well, I pretty much gave it away when I mentioned that this was my favorite. More specifically, not only of all the products in this issue’s

roundup, but of all nine Radial 500-Series modules I’ve reviewed so far. I may need a support group to curb my current addiction of liberally applying spring reverb to my mixes on vocals, snare drum, synths, guitar (of course), and more. Seriously, the band whose album I am currently mixing had to stage an intervention, as I was adding it to every song! Now having said that, I do have one gripe. I realize that in the studio world 1 /4" connections are much more common and of much higher quality and reliability than the older RCA phono plugs found on reverb tanks, and that is most likely why Radial chose them for the Tank Driver’s input and output. But as I said, phono plugs are found on pretty much every reverb tank made, so in this case I think that it might have made more sense to use actual RCA jacks on the front panel rather than having to monkey with adaptors or custom cables. If Radial feels the quality and reliability of 1/4" trumps the convenience, I’ll have to give them that, but it’s still an annoyance to me. While on that subject, do not use the cheap phono cables like the ones that come free with every TV and stereo. I did and found them very subject to static, noise and interference. I got my best and completely quiet results with shielded digital-rated cables with gold-plated connectors. Plan on investing not only in the Tank Driver module and in a reverb tank if you don’t have one, but also in a dedicated pair of high-quality interface cables. Other than that little niggle, this thing is a blast, or would that be a thwank or a strumthumblewoosh? At this price it’s a steal, with or without the reverb tank thrown in! Conclusions Radial has yet to disappoint with its wide variety of offerings at all price points. If you’re just getting started in serious guitar recording and want to get into the many great sounds reamplification makes possible, or if you have a serious investment in 500-Series signal processors and were wondering if there was a way to optimize your rack for cool guitar tricks, you’ll find one or more products in this lineup that will make you smile. Prices (street): ProRMP, $99; Reamp JCR, $199; X-AMP, $249; JDX 500, $299; Tank Driver, $249 More from: Radial Engineering, www.radialeng.com Paul Vnuk Jr. (vnuk@recordingmag.com) is a recording engineer, producer, sound designer, and lover of great tones—no matter how you get them—living and working in Milwaukee. Learn more about his latest projects at www.majale.com.
RECORDING JULY 2012

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Recording - July 2012

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